Master's thesis: Risk Assessment of the Excessive Salt Intake in the Montenegrin Adult Population

Abstract: Salt is an indispensable part of human culture. From its discovery until today, in addition to physiological needs, it had various functions in civilization development: the initiator of wars, an important source of income, protection from magic and spirits, a symbol of fertility, and habit. All these events, among other circumstances, were stumbling blocks for the formation of a man with eating habits that involved the intake of large amounts of salt and thus including other factors on the path to disease and death. What calls for urgent and coordinated action by all stakeholders is the data on the number of people who die at the global level, i.e. in Montenegro, because of cardiovascular diseases and hypertension, as the pathological conditions most associated with excessive salt intake. This research investigated the eating habits of the adult population in Montenegro regarding daily salt intake. Also, perception, knowledge, and behaviour related to salt intake were investigated. The data used in this thesis were obtained from the Montenegrin National Dietary Survey (MNDS) on the general population (within the“EU Menu” program) and the Questionnaire on Perception, Knowledge, and Behaviour About Salt Intake in Montenegro.

The research determined that the adult population in Montenegro consumes an average of 12,709 grams of salt per day, which represents a61%higher intake if compared to the recommended 5g/day by the World Health Organization (WHO). On the other hand, the Questionnaire found that 84.44%of the Montenegrin adult population knows that excessive salt intake can endanger their health and that the most significant percentage of respondents believe that they consume between 5 and 10 grams of salt per day.

Keywords: salt intake; eating habits; public health; Montenegro; adults